Security News > 2020 > July > Authorities Arrest Alleged 17-Year-Old ‘Mastermind’ Behind Twitter Hack

Authorities have charged three people who were allegedly behind with the recent high-profile Twitter hack - including a 17-year-old Tampa, Florida teen that they also arrested and say is the "Mastermind" behind the attack.

The three are allegedly behind the high-profile July 15 Twitter hack that compromised 130 accounts of high-profile users such as Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Apple and Uber - to promote a bogus advance-fee cryptocurrency deal.

According to the state attorney, the attackers behind the hack received more than 400 transfers, earning them more than $100,000 in Bitcoin in just one day.

In an update late Thursday on the situation Twitter said that a mobile spearphishing attack targeting "a small number of employees" is what led to the unprecedented, major attack earlier in the month on high-profile Twitter accounts to push out a Bitcoin scam.

"There is a false belief within the criminal hacker community that attacks like the Twitter hack can be perpetrated anonymously and without consequence," said U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson for the Northern District of California.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/authorities-arrest-alleged-17-year-old-mastermind-behind-twitter-hack/157920/